


fever dream

by normanwell



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More Hurt, Rating and tags are subject to change, inconsistent updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/normanwell/pseuds/normanwell
Summary: Dream is released from prison, but at what cost? Sapnap is stuck with him.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 131





	1. The Clock.

_ Tick. _

_ Tock. _

That damn clock.

That stupid clock ticked and filled the obsidian box with its dumb ticking. It pissed Dream off. He had to listen to the stupid, mindless ticking for a year. He watched the clock as the days passed and passed, no sign of time speeding up.

He hadn’t seen anyone in months.

Sam had automated his food system, and every time he angrily threw his clock into the lava a new one dropped from the ceiling.

Dream was isolated.

Tommy had stopped visiting him, Ranboo stopped visiting, Sapnap visited once, George didn’t even visit.

He didn’t know what hurt him more.

Dream still remembered the day when Sapnap had visited him.

The blonde was silent as Sapnap told him how much he had hurt everyone. How much he deserved to be in the prison. How if he escaped, Tommy or Techno wouldn’t take his last life; it’d be Sapnap who took it.

He didn’t talk the entire time. Even at the end, all Sapnap got was a strained “yes” from him.

Dream handed Sapnap a book that read, “thank you for visiting me” scrawled in shaky letters. Sapnap held the book as he walked to the lava, waiting for it to trickle to the floor. Dream pulled him into a tight hug as the lava lowered, and lowered, and lowered.

The blonde felt tears spill onto his orange jumpsuit. Sapnap shook with silent tears as he dug his nose into Dream’s shoulder.

He hated this.

_ I’m sorry for hurting you. _

Dream couldn’t find the strength to let the words spill from his mouth. His throat felt dry as he let the words catch in his throat. He puffed, desperately trying to keep the words down, and he did. He locked the words into a box, and he threw away the key.

Dream let his arms relax, and he let Sapnap slip from his hold. With puffy eyes and a tear-streaked face, Sapnap turned away and stepped over the netherite wall. He held the book close to his chest, silently waiting for the bridge to be pushed over to the cell.

The clicking and pushing of pistons filled the silence. It wasn’t awkward, or uncomfortable. They were just.. there. 

The stone bridge had finally reached the edge of the cell, netherite blocks slotting up from the floor. Sapnap wiped the tears from his eyes, squeezing the book closer to his chest. He glanced back at Dream, getting a small wave in return. His lips pursed into a thin line before he sniffled and stepped onto the stone brick.

Lava popped and gurgled around him as the pistons pushed him back to Sam.

Dream now sat alone in a cell, white lines scrawled against obsidian. Multiple broken quills floated in the ink-clouded water.

He had multiple books resting in a chest. Half of them were filled, others were empty. Dream had been writing a lot. Of what, he wasn’t sure of.

Most were filled with shaky and uneven letters, all of them blurred between the lined paper. He couldn’t even tell what he was writing. His hands hurt- and when he tried to put a thought on paper his hands only ached more.

Every day was a struggle, banging his hands on the obsidian in a desperate attempt to flee.

“Let me out! Please!” His voice was tired from screaming, begging to be let out.

Dream could remember it vividly- like it was just yesterday. The day Sam and his best friend had put him in the prison he designed and engineered. The prison he paid Sam to create. Dream wasn’t surprised.

“You deserve to be here, Dream.” Sapnaps words rang in his head. He did. He did deserve to be here. He hurt everyone. He just wanted to create one big happy family. Just like the early days from the SMP.

And then Tommy came along. Brought attachment to the server. Made everyone care about everything. Tommy’s discs, Sapnap’s fish, everything. Everyone had something to care about. And Dream didn’t like that. Tommy wasn’t in control of the SMP. Dream was. So that's why he took everything away from them. Why he hid them in an underground bunker thousands of miles away from everyone. To get rid of attachment.

But it didn’t fucking work.

So now, he was stuck in this prison for god knows how long.

Dream had lost count of the days. He completely abandoned scratching white lines into dark obsidian. He had given up on punching the walls. He had given up on throwing his clock and food into the lava before him.

Dream looked at his scarred knuckles, running a calloused finger over them. They stung, but it was better than feeling nothing, right?

His fingers caught along the subtle scabs littering the peaks of his knuckles. Maybe he should go back to punching walls.

Dream’s eyes held no emotion. Eyes that were bright emerald green had faded to nothing but murky sage. It hurt. He wanted the hurt to stop- so why didn’t it?

Sitting in the same obsidian box day after day was so hard. Most days he didn’t even stand from his spot. Others he laid against the cold obsidian, freezing his face. Other days he stood close to the lava for hours on end. For comfort. He didn’t know what comfort he was seeking, though.

Sometimes he’d imagine the familiar outline of his best friend emerging from the lava, wrapping his arms around him in a warm hug, squeezing him so tight it was almost suffocating. It was moments like that where Dream let his tears fall freely.

Dream missed sneaking out and watching the stars and falling asleep under them. Nights where Sapnap would come find him and wake him up because he had a nightmare, so they’d go drink tea and talk about it. Dream never made him. Sometimes they sat quietly on the stairs and sipped at their warm mugs, waiting until both finished to retreat upstairs to their respective beds. Nights where he and Sapnap would go adventure the forest and get in trouble for running so far away from home.

He missed it.

Dream missed the nights he’d go look at the fireflies with Sapnap. George was always too tired to look at them, and he always got annoyed when the two shook him awake to ask. They laughed, bounding out of the house with heavy footsteps.

He remembered the time Sapnap accidentally lit a flower ablaze because he was so excited. He cried after, and Dream couldn’t help but feel terrible for snickering when Sapnap’s expression dropped as the flower dissolved into ashes.

Dream remembered how he had found Sapnap sitting alone on the bridge connecting L’manburg to the rest of the SMP, legs dangling off the edge. Dream remembered how cold he was. His skin was ice cold- and he didn’t know why. Sapnap was always so… warm. He could never recall a time when his skin was cold to the touch.

Dream didn’t even remember what Sapnap had told him, but Dream remembered the sadness in his eyes. Dream held the other close even though it was cold. And the two sat until Sapnap warmed up. Until he felt better.

Dream wanted to leave this damn prison. Hell, he had almost escaped once. Then Sam filled the cell with crying obsidian. He was so close to freedom. He had almost had a full portal built. He spent days breaking away at the obsidian. He punched and punched until his knuckles were bloody and bruised.

And one question lingered in his mind since he had been put into the prison. A question he had been asked a year ago.

_ “Who do you miss the most, Dream?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo!! so i've had this one in my drafts for. so long. and i had an alternate opening that i actually didn't finish but i might post it on twt as is just for fun, who knows !!
> 
> anyways hope you guys enjoyed !! kudos n comments are appreciated, n i'll try and get the next chapter out soon :D im really excited to continue this one :]]
> 
> if youre interested in seeing me talk about my works follow me on twt @normanwellx !!


	2. You're out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap gets Dream from the prison.

Sapnap stared at the intimidating entrance of the prison. His gaze was cold, but his hands felt colder. Why did Sam call him to the prison, anyway? It had been a year since he had stepped foot into the prison, let alone near it, so why now?

Letting his hands fall to his side, he took a short step closer to the entrance. The quartz walls and blackstone ceiling were more intimidating than he remembered. Then again, he was being called here by Sam for whatever reason.

He looked at the black and red terracotta path that led to the portal connecting the entrance hall and prison. The portal made small  _ voops _ . The familiar sound brought his nerves to ease until he approached the stone button in the corner.

It was so.. scary. Sapnap wasn’t ready to come back to the prison.

Memories of his first visit hung in his mind. It felt like it was just yesterday he had visited. Told Dream how much he had hurt everyone. Everyone but himself.

Sapnap regretted not telling Dream how much he had hurt him. How he had been used and turned into a weapon- a pawn for Dream to use whenever he wanted. Whenever he needed help terrorizing  _ teenagers _ .

The raven didn’t know why he didn’t stand up for himself sooner. Maybe he was too blinded by his loyalty to his best friend, the knight in shining armor who promised he had everything under control and that everything would end up being okay.

But nothing was okay. Dream lied.

The muffled sound from the entrance hall speaker filled the room.

_ “Go through the portal, and wait ten seconds. Then come through.”  _ Sam said like it was routine to him.

Sapnap heaved a heavy sigh, sticking one foot through the portal and stepping through. He was cold when he stepped through. His tail nervously wrapped around his legs, pointed ears gently twitching with the wind.

Stepping through the portal, he waited and counted down from ten. He leaned against the quartz wall. He stared down at his shoes and glanced up at the obsidian, and then the purple waves spinning within the obsidian square.

Ten seconds were over. The crackly intercom came on again.

_ “Okay, come on through, Sapnap.” _ Sam hummed. Sapnap stepped through the portal, watching as his foot, then calf, then knee disappeared into the purple abyss.

He stepped through, being met with the creeper-masked man behind the front desk. He waited for the familiar sound of glass shattering behind him, but it never came.

“Come here, Sapnap.” Sam smiled, lifting his mask from his face and closing one of the various wavers he had collected over the months. He liked reading through them. Sam liked seeing who had come and seen his work.

Sapnap took a hesitant step towards Sam, hands shoved into his pockets. He nervously fidgeted with his fingers, blunt fingernails scratching against his fingertips.

“What did you need?” Sapnap asked, voice flat.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Sam replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Shoot.”

“I want to release Dream,” Sam explained. Sapnaps face dropped. His brow furrowed, and his tail angrily twitched behind him.

“You want to  _ what _ ?” Sapnap snapped back, removing his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms over his chest.

“..release Dream?” Sam repeated, pressing his hands onto the lectern in front of him. “He’s barely moved, Sapnap. He’s not.. eating anymore. Sometimes he just stands and stares at the lava, Sapnap. He looks miserable.” 

“He deserves to be in there, Sam.” He responded simply, taking a step closer to the warden. “He hurt everyone, Sam. As miserable as he may be he deserves to stay in there for a long time.”

“Please,” Sam pleaded, pulling the creeper mask from his forehead. He revealed creeper-like scales and more brown hair. “If you don't want him after a week I’ll take him back.” Sam talked like Dream was a dog. If you didn’t love your dog enough you’d take them to a shelter.

Sapnap curled his lip, tapping his fingers along his bicep. He didn’t like the idea of letting Dream out. He didn’t like Sam talking about Dream like a dog. Maybe it’d be for the best. If Sapnap took Dream.

The two stood there in silence, the only sound that could be heard was their breathing.

“Fine,” Sapnap huffed, stepping up to the lectern. “I’ll do it.”

“Really?” Sam smiled, “I thought you’d say no.”

Sapnap just nodded. It was the least he could do for Sam, especially after everything he had done for Sapnap. The nights Sapnap showed up at his home with tear swollen eyes and trembling hands. Nights where Sam had to make sure Sapnap got home safely because he had spiraled so far into the negative feelings and emotions infesting his mind. The nights Sapnap cried into Sam's shoulder, just for comfort that never came.

“Keep your stuff, just follow me through the prison. We’ll go through things as normal, I’ll send you to get Dream, and then we’ll go.” Sam hummed, and Sapnap nodded.

The two traversed through the prison, slipping through the small hallways. The two had finally made it to the final room. The lava popped before them. It was mocking Sapnap. It stared him dead in the face, cackling low with things like  _ “Why didn’t you visit more?” _

Sapnap remembered the warm embrace of the lava, but suddenly it was intimidating and ice cold. He glanced at the lava before his eyes started darting. He tried to look everywhere that wasn’t the wall of lava in front of him.

“Thank you, again,” Sam said as the lava crept lower and lower to the ground. It revealed blond hair and an orange jumpsuit. Sapnap froze, his eyes widening at the sight. He felt sick. Nerves overtook his body, and his arms and hands shook uncontrollably. He looked like a kicked puppy, tail in between his legs as the sage-eyed man looked to the room across from him.

Dream looked at the pair, confused. He wasn’t expecting any visitors. His confusion only grew when Sapnap stepped onto the stone brick in his armor.

The armor grew heavy the closer he got to the cell. His breathing became uneven and his hands shook wildly. He wasn’t ready. It was happening too fast.

Anxiety made his feet and fingers tingle. His stomach twisted and turned and tied into knots. He looked at Sam, fear filling his eyes. His look was nervous, his bottom lip clamped between his teeth. If he bit any harder he could probably draw blood.

Dream pushed blonde hair away from his face, watching as Sapnap got closer and closer and closer.

The stone brick hit the obsidian, Sapnap freezing in his place. The fear lingered in his eyes. The lava below him suddenly seemed more intimidating than it had before. Every pop and crackle of lava got beneath his skin.

“...Sapnap?” The silence was broken, Dream stepping over to the raven. The netherite blocks in the floor stayed planted. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to step past them.

Sapnap slowly turned his head to face Dream. Dream looked at him, confused.

“What’re you doing..?” Dream asked quietly, holding his hand to his chest.

Sapnap cleared his throat. “You’re getting out today,” Sapnap said, his voice shaking. “Sam wants to let you out. And you’re gonna, uh, stay with me.”

“..really?” Dreams voice was hoarse and quiet. “You’re being serious?”

“Yeah. I am.” Sapnap faced Dream head-on now, his tail still nervously curled around his leg. His gaze was still cold and resembled the one he gave the prison entrance. It was Dreams turn to be nervous. He knew that the residents of the SMP hadn’t been kind when it came to their pranks and jokes- and he didn’t know if he could believe Sapnap either.

“If you don’t wanna come then that’s fine. Stay here, I don’t care.” Sapnap grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “This is your only chance, Dream.”

Dream stood silent. Dream stared into grey eyes, crossing his hands over his chest. He noticed the necklace slung around Sapnaps shoulder. It was a smiley face resemblance of his mask that had been long lost since he was locked up in prison. Dream broke his necklace. He threw it into the lava in a pure fit of rage and anger. It was the only thing Sam let Dream keep, and he broke it. He watched the black twine fizzle into ashes. Dream broke the glass pendant on the obsidian floor. It was only after he had realized his mistake. He fell to the ground desperately grabbing at the pieces, trying to put it back together but nothing worked. He remembered crying that night.

“I’ll go.”


	3. Why?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The walk home.

“Fine. Let's go.” Sapnap huffed, hastily turning around. Dream inched forward, bare and bruised feet stepping onto the stone brick. The raven turned his head, glancing at Dream’s scarred face and down to scarred hands.

“What?” Dream asked. His voice was.. oddly innocent.

“Nothing,” Sapnap grumbled, turning to look at Sam. The bridge began to move, and before they knew it, they were on the other side. Sapnap stepped off the brick, Dream following close behind. His hands were shoved in his pockets, gently squeezing his thumbs with the rest of his fingers.

The two stood in silence as Sam led them through the prison, splashing them with various potions.

The three of them finally made it to the reception.

“Thank you again, Sapnap.” Sam hummed, pulling his creeper mask over his face. Sapnap replied, huffing through his nose. He wasn’t excited.

His hands shook rapidly, and even crossing his arms didn’t help them steady. Sam ushered them to the portal after giving Dream a pair of worn-down shoes. Sapnap stepped in, welcoming the cold atmosphere of the purple void. He was too warm and too cold at the same time.

Dream stepped in behind him, shivering. Sapnap turned to look at him. Like, really look at him. His hair had grown out considerably, and it looked terrible. Sapnap had to admit that he wasn’t much better, but it was clean.

Sapnap remembered the day after Dream had been put in prison, staring himself down in the mirror. He tried putting his hair up into space buns. Sapnap wanted to pretend everything that just happened never happened. But Sapnap couldn’t get either of the space buns right- right like the way Dream had. He was frustrated and had tears leaking from his eyes and spilling down his face. Sapnap’s hands hurt from the dense grip he had on the hilt of his sword, pulling his hair tight and sliding the blade against midnight strands of hair. Sapnap left his home that day with uneven and messy hair. No one could put it up anymore- and he didn’t know if he was thankful for it or not.

Sapnap continued getting his hair trimmed by Puffy, which he was grateful for. Puffy was like a light in the dark for him. He was able to go to her when sometimes everything was just too much.

Sapnap stepped into the cold entrance hall of the prison, Dream following his trail. He spared a glance to the blonde before stepping out, netherite boots clicking against black terracotta.

“Why’re you in such a rush, Panda?” Dream said, extending his arms over his head. Sapnap froze.

“Don’t call me that.” Sapnap snapped back, ice running through his veins and deadly venom dripping from his voice. The raven shoved his hands into his pockets, balling his hands into fists. Why did that make him so angry?

“Aw, why not?” Dream mused, stepping over to the other, “We’re best friends, right?”

“We aren’t best friends,” Sapnap replied coldly. Why was Dream being so infuriating? Why couldn’t he just be quiet? Why did he have to tease?

“What’s the matter, Sapnap?” Dream smiled, closing his eyes. Dream still stood tall over him.

Sapnap hasn't changed since Dream had been locked up. He was visibly nervous, and as Dream would say he wore his heart on his sleeve. He was an open book waiting to be read. Every emotion was visible on his face and in his eyes. Over the years, Dream had gotten especially good at reading him.

Sapnap couldn’t read Dream- that's what pissed him off. Dream was stoic and closed off, only showing his realest and truest emotion around Sapnap when they were alone, which wasn’t often. Normally accompanied by George or one of the pesky L’manburg teens, Dream was always someone else, and Sapnap couldn’t tell them apart.

The raven walked ahead of the blonde, his feet hitting the wooden path next to the quartz mansion. It was broken and worn down, and no one had bothered to fix it.

The year without Dream free in the SMP was.. weird. It was oddly quiet, and it was almost terrifying sometimes. Shortly after Dream had been put in prison he moved away from the SMP and built a small cottage in the middle of the woods. He pretty much isolated himself. It was quiet and lonely, but it brought Sapnap some kind of peace. It was nice being alone. Until his heart ached to be around someone again. Karl and George came to visit, but they were both so busy with Kinoko Kingdom that they had eventually stopped. Quackity was busy with his casino, so he was left alone. He occasionally came back to the SMP to catch up with Bad and Puffy, or to visit the rebuilt community house.

It was a weird change, but it was welcomed for the most part. Everyone finally seemed.. happy. 

The two walked past the rubble and remains of L’manburg after Doomsday. Dream smiled at the obsidian TNT trap in the sky. Sapnap looked forward, carefully stepping over broken pieces of the wooden path.

“It’s quiet.” Dream hummed. Sapnap didn’t reply.

“Why’re you not talking?” Dream asked, leaning over the shoulder of the shorter.

“Nothing to talk about.” Sapnap huffed quietly, taking a turn off the path and into the woods. Dream trailed behind him.

“Then we can make something to talk about!” Dream cheered, pulling his hands from his pockets and placing them on Sapnap’s shoulders. The other froze.

“Don’t touch me.” Sapnap barked, shoving the other's hands off of him. Dream stared at him, confused. Sapnap glared daggers, goosebumps covering his arms under his sleeves. Sapnap continued, angrily swinging his arms.

The two walked in silence until they made it to Sapnap’s cabin. It was nice. The exterior was surrounded by lush forests and green bushes, the spruce wood standing out from everything else. Lanterns hung from the roof, and flowers were planted in miniature garden beds next to the door.

Dream stared in awe as Sapnap pushed the oak door open, stepping inside. He slipped his shoes off and threw them onto a mat next to the door, unclasping the buckles of his armor and starting to his room.

“Are you gonna come in or?” Sapnap questioned, looking back. Dream stepped inside, pulling his shoes off and closing the door behind him.

“..it's nice,” Dream complimented, turning into the small living room.

“Thanks,” Sapnap said, walking out from his room and walking into the kitchen. He grabbed an apple and threw it at Dream. The blonde caught it, softly admiring the gentle shine from the sun. It had been so long. He hadn’t taken the time to admire anything for a while.

Sapnap bit into a piece of bread, leaning against the counter. He exhaled through his nose and opened his partially-full mouth.

“Why?” Sapnap asked.

“Why what?” Dream replied.

“Why did you destroy L’manburg?”

Dream thought for a second.  _ Why did he do it? _

“I did what I had to.” Dream replied coldly, bringing the apple to his mouth and biting through red skin and white flesh.

“Bullshit.” Sapnap barked. Dream looked down at his feet.

“I’ll get back to you on that, Sapnap.” Dream said, one hand sliding easily into his pocket. How long were they gonna stay like this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a lot happened but i promise this is important
> 
> kudos n comments are appreciated !! follow me on twt @normanwellx for updates

**Author's Note:**

> yo!! so i've had this one in my drafts for. so long. and i had an alternate opening that i actually didn't finish but i might post it on twt as is just for fun, who knows !!
> 
> anyways hope you guys enjoyed !! kudos n comments are appreciated, n i'll try and get the next chapter out soon :D im really excited to continue this one :]]
> 
> if youre interested in seeing me talk about my works follow me on twt @normanwellx !!


End file.
